


rescue me

by mostlikelydefinentlymad



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: 1940s, Bucky Barnes Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Steve Rogers Feels, Stucky - Freeform, WWII, au where steve finds bucky after he falls off the train, because I needed closure okay?, sappy super soldiers, stucky au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2015-09-30
Packaged: 2018-04-24 02:49:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4902697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mostlikelydefinentlymad/pseuds/mostlikelydefinentlymad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It happens in the blink of an eye, Bucky falls to an icy ravine and Steve is left clinging to the side of the train but something in Steve's gut tells him that Bucky isn't gone, not yet. He makes it his mission to find him. </p><p>[Last night as I was sleeping<br/>I dreamed I held you in my arms]</p>
            </blockquote>





	rescue me

**Author's Note:**

> many many thanks to marina275424 for the french help <3

**1944**

"You don't understand, he's still out there. He's _alive_!, Steve is aware that he's hysterically screeching but he's worn down and frazzled - manners are the last thing on his mind.

Colonel Phillips sighs and massages his temples, leans his elbows upon a long oak table with multiple chairs at either side.

"With all due respect, Captain, I've read the report. I'm sorry."

Steve's head is throbbing and his body is buzzing with anger and adrenaline _._ For the first time since allowing Dr. Erskine turn him into a science experiment, he feels helpless. 

"Are you planning a rescue mission?"

"We are not."

_Why the hell not. He's out there, he needs me._

"Sir I have the best men available on my team and I've no doubt that they'd more than gladly put their necks on the line for Sgt Barnes."

Colonel Phillips rises, shuffles a stack of paper in his hands and appears much older than he is - fatigue lines the creases of his forehead and the wrinkles around his eyes.

"I understand that Barnes was your closest friend but we can't risk our men getting caught behind enemy lines. They barely survived the first time." 

_I know. I'm the one who found them._

"Thank you sir. I understand."

_I'll take matters into my own hands._

"Again, I'm sorry."

Steve nods and makes a hasty exit, the sadness in the colonel's eyes is out of place because Bucky isn't dead. He would feel it somehow, empty, hollow. And if he happened to be wrong then he'd make damn sure that Bucky Barnes got the funeral that he deserved and every medal that the army possessed for fallen heroes.

He makes a beeline for an oversized tent that houses himself, Bucky and at least two other men. Shirts, socks, extra pants and boots are stuffed into a suitcase along with his sketchbook and a spare pencil.

"Steve?"

Peggy pulls back the flap and watches as he dumps every scrap of clothing that he owns into the suitcase.

"Don't try to talk me out of this. It won't work."

She purses her lips and furrows her eyebrows in frustration. "You're going to get yourself killed. Do you honestly think he'd want this?"

_No. He'd tell me to mourn then get on with my life._

"He would do the same for me."

"I'm sure he would but he'd also prefer it if you stayed alive," she counters with hands on her hips.

"Then it's a good thing that he's not here," he retorts as he flings back the tent flap and tosses his bag into a military vehicle that he's not authorized to drive. It feels like he's repeating the same nightmare over and over - rescuing Bucky only to lose him again. 

Peggy grimaces and he knows that she's replaying the last time this happened and the drama that had unfolded - the fear that he'd never make it out alive. 

"I have to find him. Okay? He's my friend," Steve says softly as he starts the engine. 

"Be careful," she says quietly before stepping away. "I didn't see you today." 

Steve nods in confirmation - she would cover his tracks. "Thanks Peggy." 

"You're welcome, now go get him." 

Steve grins despite the knot in his stomach. 

Despite his protests to the contrary, his men insist on following him - they take another vehicle and pile into each one with shoulders and knees squashed together and Morita jabbing Dum Dum in the ribs. 

********

The hike up the mountain is frigid and dangerous with slopes on both sides and jagged rocks emerging from nearly every corner, the icy wind bites at Steve's chapped lips and reddened nose but they press on.

It takes three days to reach the place where Steve had calculated that Bucky had landed.

The map crinkles in his gloved hands as he points to a particularly rocky region to the North. Falsworth rubs his hands together and blows hot air onto them as he crouches over the map, Dum Dum is the only howling commando who isn't shivering.

"Two miles out is a river - we should reach it before nightfall if we start now," Steve eyes the other men and his chest surges with pride. He would trust every single one of them with his life.

"What are we waiting for?," Dum Dum replies with a grin that causes the tendrils of his mustache to curl up.

Morita joins in - "Let's go get our sargent!"

Dernier gives a loud _woop!_ in agreement and Steve can't help but smile.

Gabe adjusts his jacket and gear as Steve carefully folds up the map and places it in the pocket of his worn leather coat.

Hours later with snow caked into their hair and dripping noses, they arrive and scale nearly every inch of the terrain.

"Sorry Captain but I don't think he's here," Falsworth says quietly as he brushes ice off of his gloves.

_That's not possible._

Steve scans the area - noting broken branches and their own tracks.

_He's here, I can feel it._

"Go ahead and set up camp. I'll be along shortly."

Falsworth avoids his eyes as he nods and treks back to the others. 

Steve continues on for another mile and is about to give up when he spots it - the faintest shred of navy blue amongst a landscape of pearly white, under a wide rock that's shelters it from the snow. He runs over as fast as he can with snow kicking up around his boots and lungs burning against the cold.

"Bucky?"

_Please be alive, please be alive._

Bucky's skin is chilled and his hair is sticking to his forehead, eyes closed with both arms curled around his middle for warmth. Steve falls to his knees and presses an ear against his chest, by some miracle he's alive and his heart is thumping loudly in his chest.

"Buck? Can you hear me? It's Steve."

No response.

_I'm late. Too late, no. NO. Don't think like that._

He heaves Bucky's body into his arms and silently thanks Dr. Erskine for the serum or else he never would've made it this far. The other men are too far away to help so he takes a breather after a moment, removes his jacket and wraps it around Bucky like a blanket, rubs his hands together for warmth and flattens them against Bucky's cold cheeks and though he knows Bucky would hate him for it he presses his lips against his and all but begs him to do _something._ Thank him for the body heat or break his nose - anything but the dead silence and unmoving body.

_Don't die on me, I love you._

"We're almost there, Buck."

He picks Bucky up once more and presses kisses to a freezing forehead as he trudges on. By the time he arrives, his arms are aching and heavy but he refuses to release him.

"Cap? Is that....?" Morita begins but can't finish. _Is that Bucky? Is he dead?_

"Here, let me help you," Gabe offers with outstretched hands.

"I've got him," Steve replies as he sinks to his knees in the snow with breath coming out in white puffs. In his absence a fire has been built - it's small but it's better than nothing.

Steve moves closer to it and holds Bucky's hands out in hopes that it'll warm him up.

Dernier peels off one of his coats (he layers at least three with an explanation - translated by Gabe - that his mother would roll over in her grave if he wore any less than that) and drapes it over Bucky.

"Merci," Steve murmurs.

"De rien,"  Dernier says as he takes his spot once more, around the fire.

Gabe removes his beanie and passes it to Steve without a word.

Steve lifts Bucky's head and tucks it on as tight as he can - making sure to cover each ear.

"Sarge is gonna be real sore that he missed this sappy moment," Dum Dum jokes as he leans against a large rock.

Morita grins - "He'll figure it out when he sees that he's wearing a piece of everyone's clothing."  He unwraps a scarf that he had draping over his neck and tosses it to Steve who carefully winds it around Bucky's neck.

Dum Dum is next as he pulls off his gloves and hands them over.

"Thank you," Steve replies as he does his best not to wear his heart on his sleeve but it's as plain as the nose on his face. He's beyond grateful.

It isn't easy putting gloves on an unconscious person especially when he happens to be nearly frozen but Steve manages.

If any of them find it strange that Steve refuses to release Bucky and holds him in his arms while periodically stretching Bucky's hands out toward the fire, they don't say anything. If they had of he would've told them that body heat is very important and vital to survival but he knows that it's more than that. He _needs_ Bucky right now even if he can't speak or make a smart ass remark about how it used to be the other way around when Steve needed warming up in the harsh Winters.

"Tell us a story, Rogers," Morita says as he scoots closer to the fire.

Steve groans and shifts Bucky in his arms. "You don't wanna hear any of mine. Ask Dum Dum instead, bet hes got some good ones."

"Sure we do," Falsworth pipes up.

"What he said," Gabe echos.

"Alright, alright."

Steve rubs Bucky's arms up and down with his hands - "Since he can't protest...," he begins with a grin.

"When we were thirteen this dame named Cindy had a thing for Buck and he never gave her a second glance. After about a week of trying to get his attention she had enough and caught him off guard one day after school - tried to kiss him but her teeth hit his instead and bloodied his lip up real nice. His first kiss was a real doozy. He didn't kiss anyone for years after that."

_Unless you count me. Just once._

The others laughed as Gabe translated for Dernier and he joined in.

"My turn," Dum Dum says as he begins to ramble on about his girl back home and how he took her dancing once; ended up losing her in the crowd only to find that some other fella had snatched her up and well, that wasn't something he was okay with so it hadn't ended well for the other man.

Their voices fade to a faint mumble as sleep weighs heavy on Steve's eyes - he stretches out on the frozen ground and curls himself up around Bucky with knees tucked behind his and face buried in the back of his neck. If he listened hard enough he could hear the soft intake of breath and feel the steady rise and fall of Bucky's chest. He shuts his eyes and pretends that they're in Brooklyn again with the broken radiator and all of the covers they owned piled on top of them.

*******

The next day was more of the same - tracking around on foot and surviving on miniscule rations of dry nuts and fruit, gathering around the campfire at night while Steve silently held Bucky and listened as they told stories of loved ones back home. 

*******

It was only when they were loaded up into vehicles and thanking the heavens for shelter from the brutal weather, that Bucky opened his eyes. Steve had opted to have someone else take the wheel instead as he propped Bucky up against him with an arm around his shoulders.

He knew the very minute that he was conscious, without even having to look. Bucky Barnes was engrained in every part of his life and always had been - he'd memorized every detail.

"Buck?" Steve turned his head to see blue eyes staring back at him in confusion. He might as well be a patchwork quilt with all the mismatched donated clothing on his body.

"Steve?" His voice was raspy as he coughed and rubbed his throat.

"I'm here. You've been asleep."

Gabe grinned from the passenger seat and nudged Dernier, who was driving. "Il est réveillé." _He's awake._

"Dieu merci," Dernier replied. _Thank god._

Steve instinctively clutched Bucky's hands and nearly teared up because for the first time in days, they were warm.

Bucky squinted against the bright rays of the sun reflecting off of snow and ice and rubbed his eyes with one hand, the other holding Steve's tightly.

"I fell," he rasped.

"Yes," Steve confirms.

"How...how'd I get here?"

"Cap rushed in like a one man army (but you know we couldn't let him have all the fun on his own) and carried you out like a baby," Dum Dum replies with a wide smile.

Steve shrugged - "Someone had to save your sorry butt."

_Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are a package deal and I don't want to live in a world where that isn't so._

Bucky smirks and squeezes Steve's hand - "Idiot."

_It's nice to have you back._

He scratches his head and tugs off the beanie, stares at it with a puzzled expression.

"Gabe's," Steve answers.

Bucky does a once over and notes the extra clothing. He groans as he realizes that his men had spared what little they had for him, they needed it more than he did, he figures.

"Don't say it," Steve warns.

Dum Dum watches the two of them in amusement. He doesn't mention the gloves that are currently covering Bucky's hands - glances down to ensure that they're still on and takes in the joined hands, gives himself a mental pat on the back for being right in assuming that there was more to them than met the eye.

"How long was I out?," Bucky asks as he raises the hand that's holding Steve's and scratches his nose.

"Long enough for us to get some good stories about you," Dum Dum teases.

Bucky turns to Steve with feigned indifference - "Why, Steve?"

"Why not?," Steve counters with a hint of mischief in his eye. Everyone on base assumes he's a golden boy but Bucky knows all about that wild streak. It almost always landed them both in a fight back then.

"How about that Cindy?," Dum Dum winks.

Bucky groans once more and rolls his eyes. "Of all the stories..."

"-that was the best one," Steve finishes.

"Had a busted lip for weeks," Bucky bites his lip as he remembers and Steve averts his eyes.

_Don't do that._

"What 'bout you, Cap?," Gabe questions.

"Hmm?"

"Your first kiss."

Steve feels his cheeks heating up and curses the cramped vehicle. He's not about to say _It was Bucky and we were sixteen. I kept complaining about never getting a girl and how I'd die without ever knowing and so he took pity on me and...only it didn't feel like pity. We both enjoyed it._

Bucky's hand grips his tighter - "His wasn't as exciting."

"It's true," Steve lies.

Bucky scoots in closer with his thigh pressed against Steve's and their hands resting on it.

"A first kiss is always exciting. Mine? I was eleven and she was twelve - didn't really know what we were doing but somehow we figured it out. Got caught by the teacher and ended up with a full week of detention," Dum Dum retorts, with a laugh.

"Mon premier baiser était à l'âge de quatorze ans," Dernier mumbles from the front seat.

Steve crinkles his forehead.

"He says  _My first kiss was age 14,_ " Bucky translates. He could speak four different languages fluently. 

"Oh," Steve replies.

"And?," Dum Dum prompts.

Dernier shrugs.

"Guess it wasn't anything to shake a stick at," Gabe says.

"How's Carter treating you?," Dum Dum asks. He doesn't miss the way Bucky flinches as if he's been burned.

"About the same."

Bucky releases Steve's hand and his entire body stiffens. Steve nudges him with his shoulder but he doesn't respond. 

Dum Dum feels as if hes crossed a line and wonders how this messy triangle Steve has found himself in will work out. It's clear that he's fond of both Carter and Barnes and anyone with eyes can see it. 

"Bet you can't wait to get back to base and find some dry clothes."

Bucky plucks at his ruined jacket and removes the scarf. "I don't think there's any chance of salvaging these rags." 

Steve stares down at his hands as Bucky converses until his voice grows scratchy and tired once more. 

_I have to fix this._

Bucky pointedly ignores him for the remainder of the ride and Steve can't help but feel like hes being punished for something that's out of his control. 

*******

The next few days are crammed with reports, meetings about Hydra and honorably discharging Bucky. Peggy has read the report about the rescue mission, written by the other men and then Steve's point of view and knows how much Bucky Barnes means to him. 

She speaks with him during meetings and occasionally after but otherwise allows them their space.

*******

"Why are you avoiding me?" 

Steve waits until everyone is either gone to have mealtime or is otherwise occupied and corners Bucky in their tent. His ragged clothing has been replaced with a uniform that barely skims past his waist and his hair is freshly washed and brushed to the side. Strangely enough, he has no physical reminders of his ordeal and Steve wonders about that - how Bucky managed to survive at all but he doesn't ask.

Bucky stretches out on his cot and crosses his legs. "I'm not."

Steve pushes his own cot over and perches on the edge with eyes trained on Bucky. "Yes you are."

Bucky sighs and runs a hand through his hair - "Why would I do that?"

_Because the thought of Peggy makes you angry._

"I don't know Buck, why don't _you_ tell _me_? Because I can't read your mind and I'd love to know what I did wrong," Steve sasses.

"Aren't you supposed to be in a meeting right now?," Bucky sneers.

"I'm right where I'm supposed to be."

_In every possible way._

"Listen...Peggy...that is to say, Agent Carter...we're not...," Steve rambles.

_We're not what? A couple? She likes me, I like her but unfortunately for everyone involved, I love you. _

"You don't owe me an explanation, Steve. You found a dame, that's good. Always said you would."

Bucky forces a smile and Steve recognizes it at once.

"You're an idiot, you know that?," he retorts.

Bucky sits up on his cot - "Right 'cause I'm the one who nearly got himself killed to save his popsicle of a best friend."

"I'd do it again."

"Captain America would never leave a man behind," Bucky smiles even as his jaw tenses.

" _Steve Rogers_ would never walk away from his best friend."

Bucky purses his lips and nods.

"I'm not dating Peggy," Steve blurts out.

_Did that get your attention?_

Bucky shrugs - "You can if you want to, you don't have to ask me for permission you know. She'd be good for you and keep you in line."

"I'm not...dammit Buck. Don't act like you don't remember kissing me."

Bucky appears calm on the outside but Steve can see that his hands are shaking.

"We were sixteen, Steve. We're not kids anymore."

"Come on, get up. There's something I need to show you," Steve gets to his feet and watches as Bucky reluctantly does the same.

They walk past fellow soldiers who nod in recognition, past rows of loud rumbling trucks carrying ammo and into a wooded area that Steve discovered days prior when he escaped in order to sketch in privacy. From this distance and angle, no one can see them.

"You brought me to the woods," Bucky observes as he plucks a broken branch off of the ground.

"Privacy," Steve explains.

" 'this so we can continue arguing?"

Steve is tired of going round and round in circles with Bucky while he avoids the obvious. When he'd came face to face with the idea of a life without Bucky (for the second time) it had dawned on him that those old feelings were buried in a shallow grave and the slightest breeze could stir them up and it had. They'd became a swirling tornado of _what if's_ and _you've always been my everything._

He meets nervous blue eyes that always give Bucky's every emotion away and slowly steps forward until his chest is brushing up against Bucky's. He expects him to stumble back and retreat but he doesn't. Instead he swallows hard and closes his eyes as Steve snakes a hand around his neck; the other curving around his waist through the thin uniform. Steve's palm is trembling against Bucky's skin as he caresses his neck with the pad of his thumb and bends to press his lips against Bucky's - tests the waters at first with a soft kiss. He gasps against Bucky's mouth when he pushes him up against an ancient birch tree and deepens the kiss - clamps both hands onto Steve's hips and _moans_ against his lips - a sound that Steve wasn't even aware that he could make. After a series of slick closed mouth kisses, Steve nips Bucky's bottom lip and presses a thumb against his jaw in order to cause his mouth to open.

_More, more, more._

Bucky growls low and deep in his throat as he licks into Steve's mouth and -

_Fuck. This is SO much better than when we were kids.  
_

"Steve," Bucky whispers in between kisses - repeats his name until Steve wants to lay him down on the forest floor until they forget where they are and who they're supposed to be. They're no longer two boys from Brooklyn who are experimenting on Steve's bed with the excuse of teaching him how to kiss. They're old enough now to recognize the pure carnal need to bite, to mark, to make up for every second that they were apart - one kiss for every fear laced _"He'll pull through this, he's tougher than he looks."_ uttered on snowy mountaintops. They're now Captain Rogers and Sgt Barnes.

It's this sobering thought that drags Steve back to reality. His head spins as he breaks the heated kiss and presses his entire body against Bucky's -

_I could do this all day._

"Privacy," Steve grins as he dips in for another kiss before forcing himself to (attempt to) cool down but it isn't easy when the source is standing in front of him looking disheveled and debauched with red lips, wide pupils and hair mussed from Steve's fingers.

"Does this mean you..."

"Yeah," Steve answers.

_Love you? Want you? Yes. A million times, yes._

Bucky is torn between smiling and worrying. Steve hears the words that he cannot say.

"I like Peggy and she likes me and I could probably love her someday but I didn't exactly jump out of an airplane for her or nearly freeze to death to pack her back to base."

"You mean you actually carried me?," Bucky laughs at the visual.

"You couldn't exactly walk," Steve counters. Somehow Bucky can still manage to make him blush.

Bucky sobers up and turns his back to Steve - "You have her picture in your compass."

"And you dated nearly every dame up and down the block, Buck. What's your point?"

"Shes gotta be something special to you..."

"She is. She's my friend and the only girl I've ever kissed. She keeps me on my toes like you do and she covered my tracks both times that I went after you. I care for her in a completely different way than I do about you."

Bucky considers this - "Finally got that first kiss huh?"

Steve spins him around until they're facing one another - " _You_ were my first kiss."

"But I'm no dame, Steve."

"Doesn't matter."

"Sure seemed to before we left for the months we were taking down Hydra bases," Bucky focuses on a tree behind Steve's head but Steve can hear the hurt in his voice.

"That's because I'm an idiot. I thought I could...I don't know what I thought. I wanted both of you but I realize now that all I wanna do is go back home and complain about the heating in our apartment, with you."

"Why're you doing this, Steve?"

"Doing what? Finally spitting out what I feel, like the world's leading expert on nearly waiting too late? I thought you were dead, Buck and it hit me then that I never really stopped wanting you. We both know that timing isn't something I'm good at."

Bucky scoffs - "You were late for everything."

_But you're no lousy job interview that I had no chance of getting. This time I was almost too late to get to you._

"Except for this." 

Steve grabs Bucky by the lapels of his uniform and sucks on his bottom lip until Bucky melts into it and kisses with years of unspoken words and every single veiled I love you like- _be careful, lets get you cleaned up, I got you a date, lets stay home tonight, I'm with you 'til the end of the line._

It's passionate and breathless, it's birds chirping in an empty forest with beds of moss and tall birch trees, it's two hands caressing and kneading - whispering apologies against warm lips, it's Barnes and Rogers together at last.

*******

Peggy is a stunning beauty even in an ordinary uniform - brunette hair curling around her shoulders and dark eyes. Steve thinks that it's a shame that he couldn't give her his whole heart - not when more than half of it belonged to someone he'd given it to when they were children with scraped knees and rough housing in his mothers kitchen.

Bucky is relaxing in his cot and awaiting Steve's return as he tugs Peggy aside and hopes that he can rip the band-aid off quickly. He's never been good with words and though he considers her a friend and someone he cares about, she's still intimidating.

He sucks in a deep breath and is stumbling and grasping for words when she interrupts.

"You don't have to explain it, Steve. I can see it in the way he looks at you. It's the same way I do."

She gives him a tiny smile and collects a folder but doesn't walk away.

"I'm sorry," Steve murmurs.

"There's nothing to apologize for. We love who we love."

_I've loved him since I first drew breath._

Steve leans forward and kisses her on the cheek, "Thank you."

She cups his cheek and stares back at him with deep brown eyes that still intrigue him. "This doesn't mean we can't be friends. He's a lucky man."

Steve blushes and gives the back of her hand a kiss.

"Get back to him. Meeting tomorrow at 08 o'clock. Don't be late."

Steve nods and gives her one last kiss - this time on the lips for good measure and then on the forehead before he left.

*******

The war ends and they return home, the occasional post card comes in the mail with Peggy's familiar scrawl as she fills them in on her life and says they should all go dancing sometime because Steve still owes her a dance. Bucky takes this opportunity to brush up on Steve's skills because "We can't have you out there stomping on her toes, now here. I'll be the dame." 

The remainder of the mail are letters from Dum Dum, Morita and the others - plans to gather in the same state for once and go to the bar, maybe test out their singing abilities.

It is 1945 and Steve Rogers is in love.


End file.
